36C77623Q0440.docx

Attachment 1: Template for Combined Synopsis-Solicitation for Commercial Items

GENERAL INFORMATION

Program Contracting Activity Central

6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490 Independence OH 44131

POINT OF CONTACT*

Andrew Allen Andrew Allen Andrew.Allen6@va.gov 216-447-8300

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS

POSTAL CODE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice Description

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

Description This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, “Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items,” as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as an RFQ. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2023-04.

This solicitation is set-aside for SDVOSB

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 519290, with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees The FSC/PSC is R605.

The Program Contracting Activity Central (PCAC), 6100 Oak Tree Blvd, Suite 490, Independence, OH 44131 is seeking to purchase existing, off-the-shelf, web and print-based journal subscriptions for the VA Central Office (VACO) Library.

All interested companies shall provide quotations for the following:

Supplies/Services

BASE YEAR

Outpatient Bundle* Description Start Date End Date Sub-Total Enterprise Pharmacist's Letter with CE and Live Webinars Enterprise Pharmacy Technician's Letter with CE and Live Webinars

Option Year 1

Description Start Date End Date Sub-Total Enterprise Pharmacist's Letter with CE and Live Webinars Enterprise Pharmacy Technician's Letter with CE and Live Webinars

Outpatient Bundle*

Option Year 3

Description Start Date End Date Sub-Total

Option Year 4

Outpatient Bundle*

Total Price

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VHA) requires a subscription to the “Pharmacists’ Letter” with CE and Live Webinars and the “Pharmacy Technician’s Letter” with CE and Live Webinars” from its publisher, Therapeutic Research Center.

Please reference the Statement of Work in the Standard Form (SF)1449 Solicitation document for specific project information and requirements.

The contract period of performance is twelve (12) months from the date of award plus four (4) twelve-month (12) option periods

Place of Performance/Place of Delivery

Postal Code:

The full text of FAR provisions or clauses may be accessed electronically at http://acquisition.gov/comp/far/index.html.

The following solicitation provisions apply to this acquisition:

1. FAR 52.212-1, “Instructions to Offerors–Commercial Items” (Dec. 2022)

2. FAR 52.212-3, “Offerors Representations and Certifications–Commercial Items” (Dec. 2022)

Offerors must complete annual representations and certifications electronically via the System for Award Management (SAM) website located at https://www.sam.gov/portal in accordance with FAR 52.212-3, “Offerors Representations and Certifications–Commercial Items.” If paragraph (j) of the provision is applicable, a written submission is required.

The following contract clauses apply to this acquisition:

· FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions–Commercial Items” (Dec. 2022)

· FAR 52.212-5, “Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders” (Dec. 2022)

The following clauses are included as addenda to FAR 52.212-4:

FAR 52.212-5, “Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders” (Dec. 2022)

The following subparagraphs of FAR 52.212-5 are applicable:

· FAR 52.217-8 - Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999)

· FAR 52.217-9 – Option to Extend the Term of Contract (MAR 2000)

· FAR 52.219-6 - Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (NOV 2020)

· FAR 52.219-28 - Post Award Small Business Program Representation (MAY 2020)

· FAR 52.222-26 - Equal Opportunity (SEP 2016)

· FAR 52.222-36 - Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (JUNE 2020)

· FAR 52.222-50 - Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2021)

· FAR 52.223-18 - Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (JUNE 2020)

· FAR 52.232-33 - Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer – Systems for Award Management (OCTOBER 2018)

· FAR 52.222-41 - Service Contract Labor Standards (MAY 2018)

· FAR 52.222-42 - Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (MAY 2014)

· FAR 52.222-55 - Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (JAN 2022)

· FAR 52.222-62 - Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (JAN 2022)

All quoters shall submit the following:

(A) Volume I – Technical - Quotes shall clearly and completely address the appropriate technical areas of consideration described below in a format that follows the Statement of Work (SOW) deliverables. Responses to these items will form the basis for the technical merits of each quote.

(B) Volume II – Price - The Offeror shall submit a firm-fixed price quote for all items described within the SOW. The Government will evaluate the price by adding the total of all line item prices, including all options and an estimated cost to exercise FAR 52.217-8. The Total Evaluated Price will be that sum.

All quotes shall be sent electronically via email to Andrew Allen, Contract Specialist, at Andrew.Allen6@va.gov. Only electronically submitted quotes will be accepted.

Award will be based upon a comparative evaluation of quotes in accordance with the Simplified Acquisition Procedures of FAR 13. Comparative evaluation is the side by side pairwise comparison of quotes based on factors resulting in a Contracting Officer decision for the quote most favorable to the Government. Options will be evaluated at time of award.

The following are the decision factors:

1. Technical Capability

2. Price

The award will be made to the response most advantageous to the Government.

Responses should contain your best terms, conditions.

Due Date

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Program Contracting Activity – Central (PCAC) is issuing this Request for (RFQ) to solicit vendors for the purpose of entering into a single award contract. This solicitation is set-aside for small businesses.

Any technical questions regarding this RFQ should be directed to the Contract Specialist (CS) in writing by e-mail to Andrew.Allen6@va.gov

The due date for questions concerning the RFQ will be 07/06/2023. Questions received after this time may not be accepted.

The Offeror’s quote shall be submitted electronically via email to Andrew Allen at Andrew.Allen6@va.gov by July 10, 2023 at 9AM EST.

To facilitate the award process, all quotes must include a statement regarding the terms and conditions herein as follows:

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document without modification, deletion, or addition."

OR

"The terms and conditions in the solicitation are acceptable to be included in the award document with the exception, deletion, or addition of the following:"

Quoters shall list exception(s) and rationale for the exception(s), if any.

Late submissions shall be treated in accordance with the solicitation provision at FAR 52.212-1(f).

Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via e-mail to the Point of Contact listed below.

Point of Contact Andrew Allen, Contract Specialist Andrew.allen6@va.gov

STATEMENT OF WORK

Therapeutic Research Center (TRC) Subscription

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VHA) requires a subscription to the “Pharmacists’ Letter” with CE and Live Webinars and the “Pharmacy Technician’s Letter” with CE and Live Webinars” from its publisher, Therapeutic Research Center.

VHA’s goal is to ensure accessibility to high quality, clinical, knowledge-based electronic resources across the network to improve clinical decision-making at the point of care.

Pharmacist’s Letter and Pharmacy Technicians Letter published by Therapeutic Research Center (TRC), are the only resources of their kind for pharmacists and technicians.

Performance Period:

This task order has an initial base year period of performance of 12 months, with four (4) one-year option periods

However, to obtain GSA pricing, we need to order “Pharmacists’ Letter” and “Pharmacy Technician’s Letter” directly from the publisher, Therapeutic Research Center. This contract at the TRC offers the best pricing for the VHA.

Objectives

The desired goal of the VHA-wide provision of the “Pharmacist’s Letter” and “Pharmacy Technician’s Letter” is to enable our users across the VHA network to 1) search and utilize high quality drug information via resources specifically for Pharmacy Staff, and 2) to utilize the online Continuing Medical Education (CME) opportunities that Pharmacists’ Letter” and “Pharmacy Technician’s Letter” provide. Features include:

Providing access VHA-wide to standard knowledge-based clinical drug information electronic resources

A VHA-wide centralized subscription purchase capitalizes on the economies of scale offered by vendors

Negotiating one license/contract to decrease the current contracting and reviewing efforts that are required at the facility level and thereby avoid the costs and workload associated with multiple procurements

Scope of Work:

The vendor, Therapeutic Research Center, shall provide all sites on the VHA network with access to the “Pharmacists’ Letter” and “Pharmacy Technician’s Letter”. Authentication will be through VA Gateway IP address and LibLynx IPs of 157.230.189.24 and 162.243.143.27. LibLynx personal accounts shall be available also which can be placed within the TRC resources collection and remotely accessible for the VA users.

Product Scope:

The product should include the following:

1. Up to date, practice-changing, evidence-based information in an easy to read, and understand, format along with specific recommendations on what to do with the information.

2. All recommendations give evidence-based advice to guide practice as opposed to a rehash of information published elsewhere.

3. The TRC’s editorial process leverages a large community of drug therapy experts, both in practice and in academia, to anticipate what readers need to know and consolidate complex drug-related topics into digestible bites with clear and practical recommendations for managing patients. No other resource does this.

4. Editors sift through evidence to determine the best evidence-based recommendations. When a topic lacks sufficient evidence, editors compile the available evidence and work with experts in the area to firm up practical recommendations.

5. Help VHA Pharmacy Staff overcome information overload and save time by providing quick drug information and access to a vast source of high-quality content.

6. Supporting details, vetted treatment guidelines, med-guide finder, comparison charts, patient education resources, continuing education credits and tools.

Product Quality:

The product is accurate, authoritative, relevant and well recognized in its field.

Usability:

Navigation within the product is logical and easy to use. The product provides fast access to subjects and subtopics.

The product has “user friendly” help and direction aids.

Access, content, support:

a. It is required that all authorized remote users (with VPN, dial-up, wireless, etc. access) have access to the product through any VA networked computer, personal computers, mobile devices and/or CPRS.

b. The product is compatible with most standard web browsers, which have cookies enabled. To ensure privacy, the product uses session cookies rather than persistent cookies.

c. The product is compatible with the Windows environment.

d. All site content and support of the web site is the responsibility of the contractor. This includes tech support to VHA users.

e. System downtime is minimal and VA project manager is notified when such occurs.

f. Single point of contact for customer service issues is assigned to VA.

g. Questions are responded to on the same business day or next.

h. Usage statistics are available to the system administrator on an enterprise level.

i. The product shall be accessible via a variety of mobile access devices including smart phones and iPads.

j. The contractor shall offer training services. On an as-requested basis, training session (web-based or live) shall be set up to train VHA staff on use of the product. Specialized training sessions may be requested for VHA library staff.

k. Availability of usage statistics at an IP level is highly desirable.

l. a. The system is 508 compliant (http://www.section508.gov/). If the system is not 508 compliant, the contractor shall describe measures being taken to bring the system into compliance and date, within 12 months of contract award, that the system will be 508 compliant. Or, if the system is not 508 compliant, the contractor shall describe why no work is being done to make it 508 compliant.

End of Document Effective Date: 02/07/2022